User blog:Julia-B184/Flashpoint - Paradox
NOTE: Sorry that this is such a short chapter for such a long wait between them. I'm going to work on this next chapter. December 13th, 2586 Olofat, Helios Wally groaned as the alarm clock on his bedside began to drone a low-pitched whooping alarm from one of his favorite films. He tried to reach for it from where he was, but it only grew louder as he failed to turn it off. He facepalmed as he remembered, as he did each morning, that Artemis put the alarm just out of his reach to get him on his feet each morning. Throwing aside the blanket onto the empty other half of the bed, Wally sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking to the snowy weather just out the window. The Christmas tree from his parents sat in the corner like it did every year, though it had some other ornaments that Wally didn't quite recognize. "Must be from Barry," he muttered to himself as he got dressed, taking one of his rings from the dresser and putting it on his ring finger before putting his wedding ring on the other. "Wally?" He heard Artemis's voice call from downstairs. "Wally, you up?" "Yeah. Yeah, I'm up." Wally answered, walking down the stairs of their house and to the kitchen, where Artemis had prepared something to eat. "Hey, what's with the new ornaments?" He glanced to the Christmas tree in their living room, noticing similar decorations. "What do you mean?" Artemis tilted her head. "Matt and Jade made them." Wally simply squinted, not quite understanding. He looked back to the living room, walking over and stopping at the mantle of the fireplace. His eyes widened as he looked at the pictures, seeing ones he remembered of him and Artemis and then new pictures of... children? His eyes first went to the newer pictures from a past Thanksgiving, of two similar-looking children helping Wally and Barry make a huge assortment of pies. In another, the children stood next to Artemis for a picture, dressed in coordinating Halloween costumes. And finally, in the center, a picture of Artemis laying on a hospital bed and Wally standing next to her. Artemis held a blue bundle, and Wally a pink one. He and Artemis had had a baby girl, and a baby boy. "Oh, my God." Wally whispered, putting a hand to his forehead. "Oh, God." "Wally?" Artemis was behind him now. "Are you alright?" He stayed silent, contemplating this new discovery. Of course, now that he looked at the pictures again... how could he have forgotten? Yes, Matt and Jade had dressed up as a pair of siblings from one of their favorite books about a magic school, something like what Wilson would establish for Enhanced. "Yeah, I'm fine." Wally said genuinely, although something tugged at him from the back of his mind. "Just spaced out, I guess. Woke up wrong." "Well, alright, but tell me if anything's wrong." Artemis said cautiously, heading back to the dining room and sliding a plate to Wally's seat at the table. "Remember, I need you to bring the candy for the kids' Christmas party at school in an hour. By car this time, please." "Right. Their school." Wally made a mental note to find out exactly where they went to school, before it came back to him - Northwest Olofat Elementary. "Ah, got it." "...okay." His wife said in a confused tone, sitting down to eat. "I've got to head in a litte earier than usual today, so I don't have much time to talk." "No, it's alright." Wally sat down, beginning to grin. "Just being here is great." Sundari, Mandalore Grand Moff Natasi Daala sat quietly at the meeting table, drumming her fingers together as she listened to the other leaders present (Grand Moffs, Admirals, and Generals) speak amongst themselves about what they were called there for from their positions - the most they'd been told over their message was that they were going to discuss how to deal with a potential enemy in the galaxy. "It may be about the UEG." Grand Moff Kaine was telling Grand General Ironwood, who pursed his lips but didn't interrupt. "They've been pushing on our borders for months now." "The UEG has assumed a provocative attitude lately," Ironwood agreed, "But I don't feel it was a great enough deal to convene on yet. We haven't even had any live-fire incidents." "Which is more than we can say for other nations." Grand Admiral Krennic spoke up from across the table. "Personally, I believe it's the Vanguard. Their isolationist nature has left them unmentioned in several meetings." "You're quite right, Krennic." A voice came from the doorway, a haunting yet soft one that each leader at the table recognized. Everyone stood up upon hearing it. The Chancellor of the ADVENT Empire, Salem, strode quietly through the entrance of the meeting room. Like Grand Moff Daala, she wore a cardinal red uniform, but had a matching cape hanging from her shoulders. "Please, sit." Salem insisted, to which the leaders did so. "I'm glad you all managed to attend." She unfastened her cape and set it on the back of her chair, sitting down in her seat. "Our Grand Admiral Krennic has correctly deduced the reason I've asked you all here today. The Vanguard." Many of the officers shifted uncomfortably in their seats, as the mention of the isolated nation made them uneasy, often due to the sheer size of their military. Krennic, however, remained still. "The Traveler has always been an enormous asset to their cause." He further detailed his view on the matter, to an agreeing nod from the Chancellor. "Few would want to say it, but I feel it's clear that they're making a superweapon out of it." "Precisely." Salem smiled despite the circumstances. "Hopefully, we can agree that they are a greater immediate threat than the United Earth Government or the New United Nations." The officers nodded, prompting Salem to continue. "It's time to fully mobilize the Security Bureau against the Vanguard - passively." She quickly corrected her more aggressive-sounding suggestion. "If this war will come to be, then we're going to start it with information. And then we'll proceed to wage it with ships." Salem glanced to their best Grand Admiral, Thrawn, who sat beside Ironwood at the meeting table. "I've been working on tactics against their commanders for years." Thrawn assured the Chancellor. "In the event of a war, I will be prepared to mobilize the fleets to great effect." "Perfect." Salem smiled once more, looking to all of her loyal officers. "Then let's get started." Category:Blog posts